VILNIUS – Amid public backlash on social media over Kristina Orbakaite's planned concert in Lithuania, Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas is urging organizers to ask the Russian pop star about her position on the war in Ukraine and share the answer with the public.
"I saw a photo online, a very old photo, where Orbakaite is accepting some kind of award from Mr. (Vladimir) Putin. If we look at a 20-year period, there are many people who had some kind of connection. But their current position on the war in Ukraine is what apparently matters more now," Paluckas told reporters on Tuesday.
"The organizers of the concert have the opportunity to ask that question and provide the answer to the public," he added.
Orbakaite's concert at Pramogu Arena (Entertainment Arena) in Vilnius is scheduled for May 31.
BNS was unable to reach Show Life, the concert's organizer, for comment. The arena's representatives refused to comment when asked about Orbakaite's concert and hung up the phone.
Public outrage over the planned performance by the singer, who holds both Lithuanian and Russian passports, erupted on social media this week.
Critics say that Orbakaite has not condemned Russia's war in Ukraine, performed in occupied Crimea in the fall of 2022, and in March 2023 donated 50 tickets to Russian soldiers' families for her concert in St. Petersburg.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Orbakaite was born in Moscow but spent part of her childhood in Lithuania. She later moved to Russia, where she rose to fame as a singer and actress.
At her request, Orbakaite was granted Lithuanian citizenship as the granddaughter of Lithuanian citizens in February 2002.
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